Blogs

A few weeks ago, I was honored with the Professional Achievement Award from my alma mater, the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, in recognition of my innovative high rotor pole switched reluctance motor (HR-SRM) technology. This technology, the focus of my doctoral thesis, promises to revolutionize the way the world uses energy by reducing overall electrical consumption.

Europe’s energy costs have spiked dramatically over the past two years. While the causes are well documented, the proposed solutions almost always leave out the most important and proactive step that companies can take to protect their business: improved energy efficiency.

The age of cheap fossil fuels has come to an end. Since the beginning of 2021, the prices of natural gas, crude oil, and diesel have skyrocketed, driven largely by supply chain issues exacerbated by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Motors are the backbone of our world, the hidden driver of prosperity and comfort earned through technological advancement, but they’re also the hidden driver of climate change.

Today in the U.S., electric motors account for 47% of electrical consumption in commercial and residential buildings and 70% in industrial buildings, and while the induction motors that dominate this space have come a long way since their birth in the 19th century, they’ve reached a point of maturity that makes further efficiency improvements extremely difficult, if not downright impossible.

Curbing climate change requires a two-pronged approach to sustainability: producing more renewable energy and decreasing energy consumption. Yet in our rush to address the greatest challenge of our time, humanity has in some cases traded one evil for another. Nowhere is that dynamic more obvious than in some high-efficiency electric motors.

The North East is a world technology centre for electric vehicles (EVs), so developing our own electrification solution in the region was a no-brainer.

Following our £100 million acquisition of three companies—Sunderland-based Hyperdrive, Gateshead-based BorgWarner, and Cramlington-based AVID Technology—in the summer of 2021, we are preparing to expand our workforce and scale our sustainable solutions. Luckily, the region provides several key advantages that will bolster our upcoming hiring efforts.

Engineers have driven humanity’s rapid technological transformation, accelerating everything from transportation to digital transformation. Now, thanks to evolving global priorities, engineers have their sights on the greatest challenge of our time: climate change.

We are a direct reflection of society’s ethical standards.

As members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as bridges between the people and wildlife who share this planet, we have no other choice. We have an obligation to respect the people we serve, our fellow professionals, and above all, the animals we care for and strive to protect, all while constantly challenging what that even means.

The next time you visit Regenstein Center for African Apes, things will be a little different. And the time after that? Well, that depends on the chimpanzees.

For the past 15 years, male chimpanzee Hank’s group has flourished in view of guests while another group thrived in a behind-the-scenes habitat with its own private outdoor space. But once the building reopens to the public, guests might see new combinations of chimpanzees in the front-of-scenes habitat on any given day—and that fluidity might not change any time soon.

At Farm-in-the-Zoo, guests can find a few zoo favorites sharing a habitat with the chickens: guest engagement, animal care, and science. These elements form the backbone of decisions at Lincoln Park Zoo, but few spaces on grounds encapsulate the spirit quite like the chicken yard — where guests don’t just learn about animal care; they help make it happen.

On any given day at Lincoln Park Zoo, animals explore their habitats, families crisscross the Main Mall, and wild pollinators flit between native plant species. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. There’s much more happening beneath the surface—or, more appropriately, around the world.

Lincoln Park Zoo, the 49-acre urban oasis that takes 15 minutes to walk end to end, has been a global leader in understanding and protecting wildlife for three decades. Since its founding in 1989, the zoo’s Conservation & Science department has blossomed into one of the largest zoo-based science programs in North America.

How does an animal tell you how they’re feeling or what they’re experiencing? Science. More specifically, through the Animal Welfare Science Program, a formalized initiative to better understand each individual in the zoo’s care.

Lions. Elephants. Chimpanzees. African dogs. Mountain gorillas. Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., director of Lincoln Park Zoo’s Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, has studied wild and captive species from every corner of the world via hair, blood, nail, semen, urine, and fecal samples.

But several local amphibians have proven extra slippery.